GERMAN DATA: Oct crude steel production falls 14.4% on year: WV Stahl

German crude steel production fell 14.4% year on year to 3.14 million mt in October, the eighth straight year-on-year decline, according to data published Nov. 21 by German steel federation WV Stahl.

However, the volume was 10.6% higher on the month and at a four-month high, according to the data.

January-October crude steel production from German mills totaled 31.39 million mt, down 6.9% year on year.

Of the total October volume, 2.12 million was produced from blast furnaces, falling 16.3% year on year, but up 7.4% from September.

This brought the total for the 10-month period to 21.73 million mt, falling 6.5% on the year.

According to WV Stahl, German crude steel production from electric arc furnaces dropped 10.1% on the year to 1.02 million mt but rose 17.7% from the previous month to the highest monthly level since June.

Output from EAFs for the January-October period also decreased 7.8% year on year to 9.66 million mt.

October pig iron production fell 20.4% on the year and 3.5% on the month to 1.83 million mt, bringing the 10-month volume to 19.89 million mt, down 6.2% year on year.

Meanwhile, output of hot-rolled steel products in October dropped 13.2% year on year, but was stable on the month at 2.65 million mt, with the January-October volume down 6.5% to 27.65 million mt.

High energy costs and low demand have been impacting European steel output.

Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed domestic HRC prices in Northern Europe at Eur625/mt ex-works Ruhr Nov. 18, down 32.2% since the start of 2022.

— Jacqueline Holman